Neurosurgery

Neurosurgery (or neurological surgery) is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system.

Education and context

In different countries, there are different requirements for an individual to legally practice neurosurgery, and there are varying methods through which they must be educated. In most countries, neurosurgeon training requires a minimum period of seven years after graduating from medical school.

United States

In the United States, a neurosurgeon must generally complete four years of undergraduate education, four years of medical school, and seven years of residency (PGY-1-7). Most, but not all, residency programs have some component of basic science or clinical research. Neurosurgeons may pursue additional training in the form of a fellowship, after residency or in some cases, as a senior resident. These fellowships include pediatric neurosurgery, trauma/neurocritical care, functional and stereotactic surgery, surgical neuro-oncology, radiosurgery, neurovascular surgery, skull-base surgery, peripheral nerve and spine surgery. In the U.S., neurosurgery is considered a highly competitive specialty composed of 0.6% of all practicing physicians.

Neurosurgery (journal)

Neurosurgery is a monthly peer reviewed medical journal of neurosurgery and the official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. It is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. The journal publishes original research, reviews, and editorials.

History

Discussion about a new specialist journal began in 1973 at a Southern Neurosurgical Society meeting, held in New Orleans, Louisiana. For the next 3 years negotiations took place to either purchase an existing journal or start a new one. In July 1976, during a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the decision to begin a new publication was made at the recommendation of the Congress' Publication Committee. President Robert G. Ojemann made the announcement of its launch at the 26th Annual Meeting of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons on October 27, 1976 and the inaugural issue of Neurosurgery was published in July 1977 as a bimonthly publication. The journal shifted to monthly publication in 1979.